Farmers embrace compost manure
Food For Life Malawi coordinator Gloria Chirwa has encouraged farmers in Kasungu District to adopt compost manure to restore soil fertility and enhance food production.
She said this on Sunday when the organisation signed contracts with farmers who have joined the food for life initiative.
During the signing ceremony, lead farmers and officials from the organisation demonstrated how the organic manure is made and the food for life system is implemented using beds.
Chirwa said they want to empower farmers to overcome the effects of climate change through conservation agriculture and the use of organic manure.
“Farmers are given free seeds and manure. Many farmers want to try the Food for Life system of making beds and holes unlike ridges because they have seen other farmers harvesting more using the method,” she said.
Chirwa said they teach farmers how to make manure and when they follow food for life system, they harvest at least 100 bags from one acre.
Group village head Bango said what they saw was a proof that people can survive without depending on imported fertilisers.
“We can do it from small-scale to a larger-scale as at the rate we are going, we cannot afford chemical fertilisers,” he said.
The chief also urged farmers against selling their farm produce.
One of the beneficiaries, Margaret Chirwa, said she harvested a bumper yield last year using compost manure.
With funding from Stichting Art of Charity founded by Bo Teerling in The Netherlands, the project is implemented in Kasungu, Salima, Chitipa and Blantyre districts.
